Rattle
by goats
Summary: A continuation of the Lord of The Flies, based ten years in the future. I did this for an english assignment and thought others may also enjoy it. Based around Ralph.
1. Streets of the Savage

**Rattle**

**A ****Lord of the Flies**** continuation**

_Ten years after the events of __Lord of the Flies__, we find ourselves on the outskirts of London, in a small town. It is very occupied with factories and people that have very little. This is natural. This is also where we find Ralph, now living as an adult with the memories of what happened on the island still affecting his every day life._

_The original book is an adventure that is about a group of English school boys. This book can also be very grotesque, as two boys are killed in a very violent manner by the others. The deaths of Simon, which Ralph believes he could have stopped; and the death of Piggy, will take him apart. He is trying his best to cope with what happened, but even after many years of therapy he still cannot. Neither may the others._

**Part 1:  
>Streets of the Savage<strong>

The loud, whistling train was whipping by for about the one-hundredth morning in a row. Ralph had lived in this terrible little house ever since he finished school. There was no point staying where he was. It was full of people. Of humans. _Monsters._ The train seemed to shake much of the foundation, and the house became more drafty. The blonde man pulled the blankets up to his chin, trying to block out the world beyond the thin walls.

Once the train had finally passed, Ralph took that as a sign to finally start getting ready. He slid out of bed letting his feet roughly hit the cold floor. Pulling his feet up again he debated just missing today all together. However he had not been at work nor his appointments for three days. He forced his feet back to the floor and almost ran to the dark bathroom. Turning the rusty water taps on the shower before jumping in. He gave himself a quick wash before turning the water off and sauntering to the sink. Ralph raised a rough hand to his jaw. Not too much stubble. He decided he may skip a shave today. He walked back out to his bedroom and looked at the clock on the wall, ticking away. Still two hours before work. He sat down on the edge of his bed and opened up the drawer on his side table, pulling out the old, broken glasses from a handkerchief. Piggy's specs.

_The ship was drifting further and further away from the island. What was left of the island. Ashe and blood. That's all there would ever be. More tears welling up in his eyes. He was finally going home, but without the boy with specs. He leaned down against the wall, cold metal against his back, hugging his knees to his chest. Footsteps shuffled towards him._

'_Ralph…'_

_He didn't look up. He didn't have to in order to know who it was._

'_Ralph, I'm…I'm sorry.' The other shuffled closer._

'_Get away from me!' Ralph snapped, making the other tense. He slowly lowered himself to the ground._

'_I didn't mean for it…I just. I wanted-'_

'_What? What did you want Jack? You didn't want Piggy to die? You didn't intend to kill Simon? You are a murderer Jack! We are all murderers!'_

'_Simon was an accident, we all know that.' There was a strain in his voice, 'Piggy wasn't…he was in the wrong place at the wrong time! It wasn't my fault that Roger-'_

'_That's right. Just blame other people. Piggy is dead because of you! You are a monster, Jack!'_

_The red head shot up, 'Fine. I'm not sorry. Even after he's dead it's still just Piggy, Piggy, Piggy.'_

_Something hit the ground in between them with a crack. 'Keep believing whatever you want Ralph.'_

_The blonde waited until Jack had shuffled away before looking up and reaching over to the spectacles on the ground, both lenses now destroyed._

'_Piggy…what do I do?'_

He shuddered as he ran his finger over the metal frames. That was so long ago, but the memory was fresh in his mind. Ralph wrapped the glasses up again, placing them back in the drawer. Almost twenty minutes later he picked up his now dry body off of his bed and began to dress. Nothing special. He was a line worker, lived close to the factory. So of course he wore coveralls. Under he had some regular pants and a button up. He had to go see his therapist after work, and he felt out of place when he came in wearing dirty work clothes.

Ralph went into the small kitchen, it had a small wooden table shoved in the corner, facing a equally small window which faced out to the tracks. He ate in silence as another train proceeded by. The house was always silent. Except for the trains. Ralph had no telephone, he had no friends. He did not want to associate with people. To him they were all savages. Even himself. At this he avoided mirrors at the fear of seeing a murderer. This is the way it had been, ever since the island.

Once done breakfast, he brushed his teeth and headed for the door. Making sure it was locker firmly behind him, he began down the dirt road. One of the most difficult parts of his mornings was walking past the elementary school. It was for children who lived in the area. A very run down and dirty area. The children just as run down and dirty. To Ralph they looked like savages. They were all painted. Sunk in eyes staring at him as he walked by, some yelling after each other. Keeping eye of his every step as they sharpened their spears. Animals. He almost retched when he saw this one kid. A small boy standing by the fence. He was away from the others, he was different. Ralph had to pick up his pace.

The blonde let out the breath he didn't realize he had been holding. His hands still shaking when he got to the factory.


	2. The Encounter

**Part Two:**

**The Encounter**

Another day of work. More money earned to buy the essentials. To buy the scraps. Ralph had somewhere else to be now. It was already late in the evening, so walking past the elementary was much less of a burden. The children were free from the false paradise that the playground offered. They had returned home to their parents.

Ralph removed his coveralls and folded them in his arms before he crossed the train tracks. The town pavement began about three blocks from the tracks. That is where the town really began. His old shoes did not clack against the pavement. They were too worn out for that. The man peered into the windows of the tiny shops as he made his way to the centre of the town. Where all the larger buildings were. If he wanted to, he could have got a job in the town, he could have lived there too. He didn't want to though. Not when everyone he passed looked like a monster to him. Even _she_ looked like a monster. Yet he sat in a small room with her most days. Eight to nine, they talked about all kinds of things. However when she brought up the island he would never speak, maybe he would say a few things now and again. Such as, _'Simon was murdered…' 'Piggy…broken…' or 'Jack Merridew.'_

Whenever the latter was muttered, a scowl was visible on the blondes face. Of course the woman would try to pry but he would just say _'I need to go home now.'_ Oh how he hated this. He hated every bit of it. He remembered when he was on the island, as soon as he hit the sand, he was ready to die. His brain and his heart had been willing to die then and there. His body however kept pushing. Then, they were saved.

Ralph entered the building and walked up the stairs to the office. He entered and took his usual seat in a corner, isolated from others, staring at his shoes until it was the right time. The blonde rose and had a cup of water, then sat again. This was his routine. Once again he rose, this time he moved towards one of wooden doors, as he passed the desk the lady there spoke.

'Hello Ralph.'

He dare not look. She is just as likely to be a savage as the rest of them are. To be painted up like a _beast. _He was about to knock on the door of his therapist, it opened before he could, and there stood a walking nightmare.

'Ralph?'

The blonde's eyes were wide with shock and disbelief. In front of him was a red haired man. Ralph could tell by the face structure the person. Face washed off any signs of savagery, but Ralph still saw the war paint. He stumbled back as Jack moved forward. 'Ralph is that you?'

Before Ralph could do anything, arms wrapped around him. 'Ralph, I'm so, so sorry. Ralph, please, forgive me.'

The sound of skin hitting skin was the only thing in the air as Ralph struck his hand against the tallers face. He quickly turned around and ran.

Footsteps followed behind him. Faster than his own. _Damn! _He thought _Why me? Why now? Why here?_

Fingers grabbed onto his wrist, a strong hand pulling him to a stop.

'Ralph please! Please just listen to me.'

Ralph did not turn to face Jack. He did nothing but look at the ground beneath his feet.

'Ralph. I haven't been able to get a good sleep for years. I've been seeing the therapist for so long. Ralph. Is it really you?'

He reluctantly shook his head.

'I knew it! Oh Ralph. I can not forgive myself for what I have done until you forgive me. I was a stupid child. Please, don't make me live like this anymore.'

'You made the choice to have this life, you made the choice when you killed.'

Jacks hand slacked around Ralphs wrist. 'You won't forgive me? Still?'

'No.' and with that the blonde was running again. He ran fast and didn't look back, no one followed him this time.


	3. Betrayal

**Part Three:**

**Betrayal**

Ralph was constantly reminded of the events that happened on the island. He avoided remembering them at all costs, but he still kept the specs in his table. He couldn't get rid of them. They were Piggy's specs. He needed them to see. Piggy could not see without his specs. Ralph had to keep them somewhere safe.

Tears rolled down his cheeks. He was laying in his bed clutching the metal frames in his hands. He started shaking, 'Simon, and Piggy…all because of Roger…and Jack!' his throat stung from the name. 'B-but. Jack was just as lost as all of us…' he put the glasses on the nightstand. 'No. You're right Piggy. Jack was a monster. He still is.'

Ralph got out of bed and walked to the washroom. He splashed cold water from the sink on his face before looking in the mirror. Blood covered savage. He snapped back to reality, turning to the specs in the other room. 'Piggy, we are all monsters. We all killed Simon. You were there! We're murderers, Piggy! We're just as bad as Jack!' He flung himself against the wall, like a child throwing a temper tantrum would do. Soon he was on the ground. Crying.

Hours later he managed to pull himself out of such state. He looked at the clicking clock. It was very late now. Ralph would hardly get a sleep well enough to work. He would not go again. Soon the blonde found himself at his kitchen table with a paper and pencil. Vigorously scribbling away, trying to draw the conch. He committed this to memory. The thing that saved them, and destroyed them.

Ralph has a strange feeling in his gut, was this one of sympathy? Understanding of the wrong actions that someone committed? Possibly. He crumpled the paper and threw it into the drawer in his room. He then grabbed the specs and moved them to the middle of the kitchen table. If he wanted to feel such feelings of forgiveness he would have gone to church, but the choirs. He could never look at one the same.

He had someone to forgive, as much as he never wanted to see that face, no matter how it changed since then, he didn't want anything else to do with the other man. Except to let him know that he was forgiven, a bit. They are all guilty of what happened on the island. They are all at fault, all even. Ralph left his house and started towards the train tracks.

**End of Section One: Ralph**


	4. Bonus  Jack: Failure

_BONUS_

**Section Two: Jack**

**Failure**

The streets were always cold at night. Jacks shiny shoes clicked on the ground. His thin jacket blowing in the wind. Had he really just seen Ralph? The boy he rebelled against so long ago. The blonde brought back a window of memories. The bloodshed that happened on that island. The hunt. He could still remember the hot sand under his feet, in between toes. Ralph only metres before them, crawling through the sand in hopes of escape. Then that man.

'I just want him to forgive me.' Jack continued walking, his red hair was blowing in the wind. His toes hit something metal with a clunk. Train tracks. Jack sat in between them, letting his mind fly away.

'Jack Merridew, what are you doing?' he looked up at the blonde.

'I'm so sorry.'

'Jack, come inside…' The red head got up and followed Ralph into the old house. They sat down at the table in the kitchen, old specs with no lenses in the middle.

'You live here?' Ralph nodded, 'Alone?' another nod.

'You never married?'

'Why bother? Did you ever?'

'No…' The two remained silent for a long time, eyes locked on the specs.

'I'll forgive you.'

'Ralph, thank you! Thank you.'

'I don't want to ever see you again though. You still look like a monster.' Their eyes were locked on each others before Jack spoke.

'I understand.' The red head lifted himself from the chair, 'Thank you, Ralph.' Door slamming shut behind him.

**End of Section Two: Jack**


End file.
